Litter-carrier.



J. c. FITZGERALD. m-

LITTER CARRIER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, I917- L5,3l. I PatentedMay 7,1918.

a F 4 1'0 J01Z 7 J5 wan "JEREMIAH C. FITZGERALD, 0F KILBOURNE, WISCONSIN.

LITTEECARBIEB.

Application filed June 23, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH C. Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kilbourne, in the county of Columbia and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Litter-Carriers, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of carriers or conveyors designed to travel on an elevated track, for the purpose of transporting litter, grain, coal, merchandise and the like from one point or place to another, and especially pertains to an automatic tripping and unlocking mechanism with which the apparatus is equipped, certain cooperating parts of which, are mounted on the carriage and track, and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement and operation. of the various parts thereof as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal. object of the invention is to provide an overhead or elevated carrier of the above-named character, which is particularly intended for use in conveying litter and manure from the stalls orbarns or stables out into the barnyard, or to a given or desired point, where it will be automatically discharged of its load, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, stron durable and eiiicientin operation, with its parts so made, arranged and operating as to adapt the carriage thereof for safe travel back and forth on an elevated track which may have curves therein, and which may be made of a. cable, wire-rod or a bar.

Another object is to provide a box or receptacle forming a part of the carrier, which shall be so mounted as to be locked in its upright position and automatically unlocked;

to the end that, it may dump to either side desired. Still another object is to provide a carrier or receptacle frame of novel con struction which can be readily lowered to a suitable point to permit the box or receptacle to be loaded, and then easily raised to the desired height without disarrangement of the automatic tripping and unlocking mechanism. Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In the accompanying drawing which serves to illustrate an embodiment of the invention,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

Serial No. 176,587.

Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of the carrier, showing it mounted on a portion of an elevated track, and by continuous lines about the position the parts will occupy when the box or receptacle is ready to be loaded, the suspending-devices for the receptacle frame being shortened for the convenience of illustration, and by dotted lines the posit on of parts of the tripping mechanism when in the act of being tripped to unlock. the box, after it has been loaded,

raised and conveyed to the point for dump Fig. 2, is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, but with the trip on the track omitted.

Like numerals of reference, refer to corresponding parts throughout the difierent views of the drawing.

The elevated or over-head track is designated by the reference numeral 5 and in the present. instance is shown as being made of a single rod or wire, yet it may be made of a bar or cable and supported in the ordinary or any suitable manner. The track may have lateral curves to avoid obstacles or to direct the carrier in its travel in the proper direction. The carrier proper comprises a carriage fram and a frame for the box or receptacle for the litter or other material to be transported, which latter frame is adjustably suspended from the carriage frame. The carriage or wheeled frame consists of a pair of upright brackets 6, a pair of horizontally disposed bars or trucks 7, a rotary shaft 8, journal boxes or bearings 9 for said shaft and a horizontally disposed bar 10 which connects said journal boxes or bearings at their lower ends. The upper end of each of the brackets or hangers 6 is provided with a flange or extension 10 projected toward the track 5 and each of said flanges or extensions .has mounted thereon one of the trucks or bars 7 which is swiveled to the flange or extension 10* by means of a suitable bolt 11 extended through the bar or truck 7 and the flange 10 of each of said brackets or hangers. Each of the bars or trucks 7 is provided near each of its ends with a laterally extended stub-shaft 12 which shafts are projected in the same direction as the flanges 1.0 but over the track 5 as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Mounted on each of the stub shafts 12 is a sheave or wheel 13 each of which has a groove in its periphery for the reception of the upper surface of the elevated track. The lower ends of th brackets or hangers 6 are firmly secured to the upper portions of the journal boxes or bearings 9 for the shaft 8, and by reference to F i g. 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that each of said bearings is laterally off-set from that portion thereof to which the hangers 6 are secured and also that each of said bearings has a depending arm 14 to which the brace bar 10 is secured at or near its ends. The shaft 8 has mounted on one of its ends a sprocket or chain engaging wheel 15 which is provided on its inner surface with ratchet teeth 16 to en gage one end of a gravity pawl or dog 17 pivotally mounted on an extension 18 projected from that end of the bar 10 adjacent to the wheel 15 on which is mounted an endless chain 19 to be used for turning the aforesaid shaft. The pawl or dog 17 has one of its ends extended to engage by gravity the ratchet teeth 16 on the wheel 15 and is provided at its other end with a handled cord or chain 20 to be used for releasing the dog 17 from said ratchet teeth. Pivotally mounted on the bar 10 at about the middle thereof is a trigger 21 which is extended at its lower portion longitudinally with respect to the bar 10 and has at each of the ends of its lower part a depending forked extension 22, the prongs of each of said extensions being adapted to engage tripping levers carried by the frame for the box or receptacle, as will be presently explained. The trigger 21 has extended upwardly therefrom an arm 23 which has at its upper portion an extension projected under the track 5 and adapted to contact with one or the other of the rounded ends of a trip 26 which is suitably mounted on the track 5 at a suitable point where it is desired to cause the box or receptacle to tilt and dump its load. This trip may be secured to th track in any suitable way so as to depend therefrom and so as to afford little or no obstruction to the passage of the sheaves or grooved wheels 13 of the carrier.

The frame or bail for the box or recep taclc 27 is designated by the reference numeral 28 and as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing is substantially of an inverted iii-shape. that is to say its upper portion is provided at each of its ends with a downwardly extended member or prong 29 each of which is pivotally connected by means of a bolt 30 to one end of the box Or receptacle 27, each end of which box is provided with a plate 31 having its upper edge curved and provided with a recess 32 to receive a projection 33 on the lower portion of a sliding collar or dog 34 which is mounted on each of the prongs or members 29 of the box carrying frame or bail. The upper or horizontal portion of said frame or bail has journaled thereon a pair of grooved pulleys 35 which bypreference have their axles mounted below said )ortion of the frame. As shown in Fig. 1, t 1e pulleys 35 are located one near each end of the horizontal portion of the bail or frame 28 and said frame portion. has mounted between each of the pulleys 35 and the member 29 of the frame adjacent thereto, a depending bracket 36 to the lower portion of each of which is fulcrumed a tripping lever 37 each of which has its outer end deflected toward the prong or member 29 of the frame 28 adjacent thereto and provided with a hook38 to engage the upper end of a flexible connection 39, such as a chain, each of which is united at its lower end by means of a rod 4-0 to the upper portion of one of th collars or sliding members 3 1 on the prongs or members 29 of the box carrying frame. Secured at one of its ends to the rotary shaft 3 near the middle portion thereof is a pair of cables or other flexible connections d1, one of which is extended beneath each of the pulleys 35, and each of said connections %1 has its other end secured to the bar 10 near each of its ends.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawings, it will be readily understood and clearly seen, that assuming the box or receptacle 27 to be in its lowered position ready to be loaded or filled, and it is desired to raise the receptacle and its frame in order that the tripping lovers 37 may be acted on by the trigger 21, it is only necessary to turn the wheel 15 in the proper direction to cause the cords or flexible connections 11 to be wound on the shaft 8, which operation will place the receptacle carrying frame in about the position shown by full lines in Fi 1 of the drawings where it will be held by the engagement of the pawl 17 with the ratchet teeth on the wheel 15 of said shaft. When thus positioned the carrier may be caused to travel on the track 5 until the extension 24 on the arm 23 of the trigger 21 strikes one end of the trip 26, which it will be understood is located on the track at a point where it is desired that the load carried by the receptacle shall be dumped and disposed of. When the extension 24 on the trigger strikes the trip 26 it is apparent that said trigger will be tilted to about the posi-- tion shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which operation one of the forked extensions 22 on the trigger will engage one of the levers 37 thus causing both of said levers to be pressed downwardly at their inner ends and correspondingly raised at their outer ends thereby disengaging the bolts or projections 33 from the recesses 32 of the plates 31 on the ends of the receptacle when the latter will automatically tilt on its pivots and discharge its load. To lower the receptacle, it is only necessary to raise the pawl 17 by pulling down on the handle cord chain 20 when it is obvious that the weight of the receptacle and its frame will cause the shaft 8 to rotate and permit the connections 41 to be unwound therefrom. The inner ends of the levers 37 overlap each other and one of said levers is provided with a longitudinal slot -12 to receive a pin 43 on the other of said levers, which arrangement will permit of the downward movement of the same as is apparent.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a litter-carrier, the combination with an elevated track and a trip depending therefrom, of a carriage-frame mounted to travel upon the track and extending below the same, another or receptacle-carrying frame adjustably suspended from the lower portion of the first named frame and including a bail, a receptacle tiltably mounted on the lower portion of'said bail and carried thereby, a look at the end of the receptacle, a trigger pivotally mounted on the carriageframe and extended upwardly to strike said trip, a lever suitably fulcrumed on said bail and extended into the path of said trigger, and a connection uniting said lever and the bolt of the lock to unlock the receptacle.

2. In a litter-carrier, the combination with an elevated track and a trip depending therefrom, of a carriage-frame mounted to travel upon the track and extending below the same, another or receptacle-carrying frame including a bail adjustably suspended from the first named frame, a receptacle tiltably mounted on the lower portion of said bail, a look at the end of the receptacle, a trigger pivotally mounted on the carriage-frame and extended upwardly to strike said trip, said trigger having at its lower portion a pair of spaced apart extensions, a lever suitably fulcrumed on said bailand so located that when the bail is raised to its highest position, one of said extensions will rest on top of said lever and be so positioned as to be depressed by said extension when the trigger is tilted, and a connection uniting said lever and the bolt of the lock to unloc the receptacle when the trigger is tilted by contact with said trip.

3. In a litter-carrier, the combination with an elevated track and a trip depending therefrom, of a carriage-frame mounted to travel upon the track and extending below the same, another or receptacle-carrying frame adjustably suspended from the first named frame and including a bail, a receptacle tiltably mounted on the lower portion of said bailand carried thereby, a lock at each end of the receptacle, a trigger pivotally mounted on the first named frame and extended upwardly to strike said trip, said trigger having at its lower portion a pair of spaced apart extensions, a pair of levers disposed longitudinally with respect to the bail and fulcrumed thereon and having their adjacent portions loosely connected together and located beneath the trigger, connections uniting said levers to the bolts of the locks to vunlock the receptacle when the trigger is tilted by contact with said trip.

4. In a litter-carrier, the combination with a pairof wheeled hangers adapted to travel on an elevated track, of a winding shaft horizontally and longitudinally journaled on said hangers, a bar uniting the hangers, an upwardly extending trigger pivotally mounted on said bar and having on its lower portion a pair of spaced apart receiving sockets, a bail adjustably suspended from the winding shaft and said bar, a receptacle tiltably mounted on the bail, a lever fulcrumed on the bail and so arranged that when the bail is raised to a suitable position said lever will contact with one of sald sockets on the trigger to depress One end and raise the other end thereof by the tilting action of the trigger.

JEREMIAH o. FITZGERALD.

v Witnesses:

CHAs. C. TILLMAN, L. F. PUZICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

